Lock means for multiple control elements



May 16, 1950 w. E GUSTlN LOCK MEANS FOR MULTIPLE CONTROL ELEMENTS Filed June 18, 1948 1 M 7 R J VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IN VEN TOR.

WILL/AM E- GUST/N v Patented May 16, 1950 il lT'ED .S TATEES TENT OFFICE LOCK MEANS FOR MULTIPLELCONTROL ELEMENTS "William E. Gustin, Waterloo, Iowa, assignor to Deere Manufacturing (30., Dubuque, .Iowa, .a

corporation of :Iowa

Application June 18, 1948,S erial.No.'33,'77 2 There are many instances in which a pair of control elements are provided for controlling a pair of relatedmechanisms and, in cases such as these, it is desirable that the mechanisms be operated in apredetermined order. For example,

in the starting of a Diesel engine by means of an auxiliary gasoline engine, it is well known to provide means for relieving compression on the Diesel engine and separate means for engaging a clutch betweenthe startin engine and the Diesel engine. In such case, it is convenient to provide a separate lever for each means and it is desirable that these levers be moved or positioned in a predetermined order. In the application of the present invention to the situation just referred to by way of example, it is found that the starting period for a Diesel'engine may be prolonged in certain circumstances, and it is therefore desirable to provide means for locking the control levers in position with the compression relief means operative to relieve compression in the Diesel engine and with the clutch means engaged so that the starting engine may motor the Diesel engine, the locking means thus relieving the operator of the necessity of holding both levers in the desired position.

At the same time, however, it is important that means he provided for preventing the locking of one lever in a certain position without simultaneously locking the other member in a certain position. means whereby release of both levers from locked position will occur simultaneously.

There are other corresponding instances in which such coordinated controls could be used. For example, in the case of tractor brakes it may be desirable to provide means for locking both brakes and to provide such means in a manner that one brake could not be locked without the other.

Other comparable instances will occur to those skilled in the art as the disclosure progresses in connection with a preferred embodiment of the invention which hasfor its object the provision of an improved and simplified coordinated control system, lock means for such system that is operative to lock both control elements simultaneously but is not operative to lock either control element independently, and means provided in the lock arrangement to prevent movement of the locking member to locked position when one 0r Similarly, it is desirable to provide 2 theother of the-control elements is not in position to be locked. The'invention furtherresides in such other 'novelffeaturesand'arrangement of parts as will appear from the following detailed description,taken in conjunction with the accompanylng sheet ordrawings in which Figure 1 is a plan 'view'of a preferred type of control system and locking arrangement;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure '1; and

Figure 3 is a rear view of the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Although the control system herein disclosed is intended primarily for use in connection with the starting of a Diesel engine wherein the exhaust valves of the engine are held open to relieve compression while the engine is cranked by a starting engine, the principles of the system are applicable in othersituations. Therefore, the invention has been disclosed apart from its primary use and the illustration should be taken as suggesting a variety of uses rather than as limiting the invention to the use specified.

In the drawing, the numeral H! designates a support that has an intermediate upstanding portion it which carries a transverse pivot pin I2, thus providing a transverse pivot on but a single axis for the mounting of first and second control lever elements [3 and 14. The levers are pivotally carried at their lower ends by the transverse pivot pin i2 for independent fore and aft rocking. The lever 13 has at its lower end a forwardly extending bell crank arm it which is connected by means of a link It and pivot pin i! to a rocker arm It. The arm 18 is rockably carried on a transverse pin 19 mounted in a. forward portion 29 of the support it. The rocker arm 18 includes a relatively short depending arm 2i which is pivotally connected at 22 to a forwardly extending link .23. This link may be connected to any suitable mechanism to be controlled, such as the compression relief means of a Diesel engine asreferred to generally above.

The lever 14 is constructed like the lever i3 and has at its lower portion a forwardly extending bell crank arm '28 which is connected by means of a link 25 and pivot pin 25 to a rocker arm 2'! which is pivoted on the pivot pin Iil at the opposite side of the portion 2% from the rocker arm E8. The rocker arm 21 has a relatively long depending arm portion 28 which is connected to a forwardly extending link 29. This link may be connected to any suitable mechanism to be controlled, such as a clutch means between a starting engine and a Diesel engine, generally in the manner referred to above.

The normal positions of the levers I3 and I4 are as shown in full lines in the drawing. It will be seen that these levers are substantially coextensive in their normal positions and are arranged side-by-side and have substantially the same range of angular movement about the axis of the pivot pin I2. The dot-dash line in Figure 2 represents the common position of the levers I3 and I4 when moved rearwardly. In the intended environment of the system presently disclosed, movement of the lever I3 to the rear operates to open the exhaust valves in the Diesel engine for the purpose of relieving compression in the engine. Rearward movement of the lever I4, in the same situation, operates to engage a clutch between a starting engine and the Diesel engine. The fundamentals of the operations just assumed are well known to those skilled in the art and an illustration thereof in the present case would be superfluous.

In the assumed situation, or in any comparable situation, the desirable result to be obtained flows from a, holding of the levers I3 and I4 in their rearward position for a predetermined period, together with a predetermined orderly release of these levers. In order that the operator may be relieved of the burden of holding these levers in their rearward positions for a prolonged period, there is provided means for locking the levers in their rearward positions. For this purpose, the support It includes at its rear end an upstanding portion 33 which provides a pivot on a transverse axis parallel to the axis of the pivots I2 and I9. In the present instance, the portion 30 is drilled at 3I and receives at each end thereof a pivot pin 32. Ihe locking means comprises a locking member, indicated generally by the numeral 33 and preferably comprising an inverted U-shaped member having right and left hand legs 34 and 35. The portions of the legs 34 and 35 that depend below the pivot axis at 32 are substantially heavier than the portions of the member 33 above the axis, so that the member 33 is normally biased to the position shown in full lines in Figure 2, from which position it is swingable forwardly about the pivot pin 32 to the dot-dash position shown in Figure 2.

According to the invention, the locking member 33 cannot be moved forwardly from its fullline position of Figure 2 unless both of the levers I3 and I I are moved to their rearward positions. 'The means for preventing forward movement of the member 33 except in the circumstances referred to comprises members or portions associated respectively with the levers I3 and I4. In the preferred embodiment of the invention i1- lustrated, the means on the right hand lever I3 comprises a rearwardly extending toe portion 33, which is preferably rigidly formed as part of the lever. The left hand lever I4 includes a similar toe portion 3?. It will be seen in Figure 1 that the transverse spacing between the toe portions 36 and 3'! is on the order of the transverse spacing of the legs 34 and 35 on the looking member 33. It will further be seen that the toe portions 36 and 31 extend rearwardly substantially coextensively and are, in the normal positions of the levers I3 and I4, arranged sideby-side. The portions 35 and 31 have substantially the same range of angular movement about the pivot axis at I2 as the levers I3 and I4 are rocked. It will be seen in Figure 2 that the rear end parts of the toeportions 36 and 31 are in close proximity respectively to the forward edges of the legs 34 and 35 of the member 33. Consequently, as long as either lever I3 or I4 is in the position shown in full lines in Figure 2, the member 33 cannot be rocked forwardly. Stated otherwise, retention of either lever I3 or I4 in its full-line position results in a disposition of the toe portion of that lever in such manner as to provide an obstacle or stop in the path of forward swinging movement of the member 33.

The rear parts of the toe portions 35 and 31 not only provide stops for preventing premature locking of the member 33 but also provide means cooperating with the member 33 to accomplish an interlock between the member and the levers for holding both levers simultaneously in the dotdash position illustrated in Figure 2. For this purpose, the rear parts of the portions 33 and 3! are cut out or notched respectively at 38 and 39 to provide, respectively, upper substantially horizontal surfaces 40 and GI and rear substantially vertical surfaces 42 and 43. When both levers I3 and I4 are moved to their rearward positions, the member 33 may be swung forwardly and the bottom portions of the legs 34 and 35 may respectively engage above the surfaces 43 and II, simultaneously stopping against further forward movement by engaging respectively with the surfaces 42 and 43, a relationship that will be apparent from an examination of Figure 2. In view of the result just described, the levers I3 and I4 are interlocked in their rearward positions; and neither can be released without simultaneous release of the other, a result that follows from the fact that the member 33 is a single member and movement of one leg 34 (35) is accompanied by simultaneous movement of the other leg.

An arrangement such as that set forth above is desirable, for example, in the Diesel starting system previously referred to, for the purpose of preventing such malfunctioning as release of the compression relief means while the starting clutch is still locked in engagement between the starting engine and the Diesel engine. In the assumed instance, the Diesel engine would start while still connected to the starting engine. Likewise, the arrangement referred to prevents disengagement of the clutch between the starting engine and the Diesel engine while the compression in the Diesel engine is still relieved, in which circumstances the Diesel engine would not start. On the whole, the arrangement is such as to guarantee coordinated operation of the control levers I3 and I4 and whatever mechanisms may be connected thereto, thus insuring eificient operation of the controlled machine or apparatus and eliminating the possibility of injurious effects likely to follow operation not according to the prescribed order.

The disclosure herein is based upon a preferred embodiment of the invention chosen according to the desirable objects to be achieved hereby in a particular instance. It will be appreciated, however, that the illustrated embodiment is capable of changes in proportion of parts, direction of movement, etc., and is further susceptible to other modifications and alterations that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a control means: a support, including means providing a pivot on a single axis; first and second lever elements carried by the pivot means for independent fore and aft rocking of each lever element about said axis between forward and rearward positions, said lever elements, when together in either position, being substantially side by side and each having substantially the same range of angular movement about the pivot axis; means fixed to each lever element in proximity to the support, including a rearwardly extending toe portion moveable with said lever element downwardly and upwardly respectively as said lever element is moved rearwardly and forwardly, said portions being disposed side by side when the levers are together in either position and being substantially coextensive with each other and having substantially the same range of angular movement when the lever elements are moved between positions; a single shiftable lock member carried by the support in proximity to the toe portions for movement from a normal position behind and disengaged from the toe portions when both lever elements are in their forward positions to a forward looking position engaging above both toe portions when both lever elements are in their rearward positions, said toe portions and the locking member being inter-related so that either toe portion in its upward position provides an obstruction to forward movement of the locking member and thus prevents locking of either lever element separately; and means acting on the locking member to bias it to its normal position.

2. In a control means: a support; a pair of lever elements; means mounting the lever elements on the support for independent movement of each lever element between first and second positions relative to the support; a single locking member carried by the support for movement between a release position, in which it has no locking effect on either lever element, and a looking position, in which it looks both lever elements simultaneously; means acting on the locking member to bias it normally to release position; means connected to each lever element and operative to prevent movement of the locking member to locking position when either lever element is in its first position, regardless of the position of the other lever element, so that both lever elements must be in their second positions to enable the locking member to be moved to locking position; and means connected to each lever and engageable with the locking member, when said member is in locking position, to releasably lock the lever elements simultaneously in their second positions.

3. In a control means: a support; a pair of levers; means mounting the levers on the support for movement of each lever independently of the other between first and second positions; a pair of combined stop and lock elements movable on the support and connected respectively to the levers for independent movement of each element between a stop position and a lock position in response to movement of its connected lever between first and second positions, and

each element including a lock portion and a stop portion which occupy different positions according to the position of the element; and a locking member carried on the support for movement from a normal position free of the levers and elements to a locking position engageable simultaneously with the lock portions of the elements only when both elements are in their lock positions, said member having biasing means acting thereon to normally bias it to its position free of the levers and elements, said member having portions respectively engageable with and obstructed by the element stop portions when either or both of the elements are in their stop positions so that said member cannot be moved to its locking position, said element stop portions clearing the locking member portions when both elements are moved to their lock positions and said element lock portions being simultaneously presented for locking by the member when the locking member is moved to its locking position.

4. Control mechanism, comprising: a support; a pair of levers; means mounting the levers in coaxially spaced apart relationship on the support for independent rocking of either lever between first and second positions; a locking member having a pair of spaced apart legs interconnected for movement together; means mounting the locking member on the support for shifting thereof between two positions so that the legs are simultaneously movable between a leverrelease position and a lever-lock position; means acting on the locking member to normally bias it to the lever-release position of the legs; first blocking means movable on the support under control of one lever and efiective, when that one lever is in its first position, to block one leg of the member against shifting to lever-lock position, and movable by said one lever to unblock said one leg; second blocking means movable on the support under control of the other lever and independently of the first block means, and effective, when said other lever is in its first position, to block the other leg of the member against shifting to lever-lock position, whereby movement of both levers to second position is required to move both blocking means to condition the legs for simultaneous shifting to leverlock position; and means on the member engageable with the levers, when both are in their second positions and the member legs are in leverlock position, to lock the levers in their second positions.

WILLIAM E. GUSTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,534 Great Britain Sept. 27, 1905 127,962 Great Britain June 6, 1919 

